Running from Lies
Notes
Transcript
You've lived through an epidemic. We all have. COVID shut down the world. Closed churches. Kept families apart. Killed millions of people.
Here's the thing. There's something worse than any disease. False teaching. A disease kills your body. False teaching can destroy your soul.
And just like a disease, false teaching has warning signs. Doctors learn to spot symptoms so they can treat patients. We need to learn to spot the symptoms of false teaching so we can protect ourselves and each other.
That's what Paul wanted for Timothy. Timothy was a young pastor leading a church in a city called Ephesus. False teachers had slipped into the church. Some people cared more about getting rich than following Jesus. The culture kept pulling everyone the wrong direction.
Sound like anything you've seen lately?
Paul wrote this letter to help Timothy stay strong. And today we're looking at a warning about two things that wreck people's faith. False teaching and the love of money.
You might wonder what those two have in common. Both of them lie to you. Both of them promise things they can't give. And Paul says the same thing about both of them. Run.
2b Teach and encourage these things. 3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. 8 If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.
Look at 1 Timothy 6:3-5 with me. Paul talks about teaching that doesn't agree with the sound words of Jesus. That word "sound" comes from a Greek word we get "hygiene" from. It means healthy. Good for you. Teaching that comes from Jesus makes you spiritually healthy. False teaching makes you sick.
Here's the tricky part. False teaching doesn't always look false. It's not some weirdo on a street corner holding a sign about the end of the world. Most of the time, it looks pretty normal. The people teaching it have degrees and bestselling books and big followings online. They dress nice. They seem sincere.
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their works.
Paul warned another church about this in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. Satan dresses up like an angel of light. His people dress up like servants of righteousness. They don't look dangerous. They look helpful. That's what makes them so hard to spot.
Let me give you an example you'll run into. The prosperity gospel. You've seen it on TV. Preachers in nice suits telling you that if you just believe hard enough, God will make you rich and healthy. Send them money and God will send you more back. Name it and claim it. Speak it into existence.
You can find this teaching all over television and the internet. Joel Osteen pastors one of the largest churches in America. He tells people, "It's God's will for you to live in prosperity instead of poverty." Kenneth Copeland has said, "The Bible is a contract between God and His people. When we give, God is obligated to give back." Creflo Dollar once told his congregation, "If the Apostle Paul was alive today, he would be driving a Rolls Royce."
Sounds pretty good, right? Who doesn't want to be healthy and have enough money?
Here's the problem. The Bible never promises that.
Think about Job. The man lost everything. His kids. His money. His health. And the Bible says Job was a righteous man. God himself said Job was blameless. Or think about Paul. He wrote most of the New Testament. Started churches all over the place. And what happened to him? Beaten. Thrown in prison. Shipwrecked. Hungry. He asked God three times to take away some kind of sickness, and God said no.
Hebrews 11 talks about all these people with great faith. Some of them did amazing things. But some of them got tortured. Mocked. Whipped. Chained up. Killed. And God said they were commended for their faith. Not because they escaped trouble. Because they held on through it.
The prosperity gospel turns faith into a magic formula. Say the right words, give the right amount, and God has to do what you want. That's not faith. That's trying to control God. It treats him like a gumball machine instead of the Lord of the universe.
And it hurts people. When the healing doesn't come, when the money doesn't show up, people blame themselves. Maybe I didn't believe hard enough. Maybe something's wrong with my faith. Some people give up on God because they feel tricked by promises he never made.
Jesus didn't promise us an easy life. He told his followers to pick up their cross and follow him. A cross. That's an instrument of death. That's not a promise of a beach house.
4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.
Look at the rest of 1 Timothy 6:4-5. Paul says the false teacher is conceited and understands nothing. That word "conceited" in Greek means puffed up like smoke. We'd say "full of hot air." These guys think they're brilliant. They've got all these degrees. They've written all these books. And Paul says they understand nothing.
You can have a wall full of diplomas and still miss the whole point. Knowing facts about the Bible isn't the same as knowing Jesus.
And look what comes from their teaching. Envy. Fighting. Gossip. Suspicion. Constant bickering. Churches split apart. Friendships end. People quit showing up.
That's how you spot false teaching. Look at the fruit. Does it make people more loving? More peaceful? More holy? Or does it just cause fights and division?
False teaching never brings people together. Only truth does that.
Now Paul moves to the second danger. And notice how he connects it to the first one.
5 and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.
Look at 1 Timothy 6:5 again. Some people think godliness is a way to get rich. They treat church like a business. Follow Jesus and cash in. Give to God and watch your bank account grow.
This goes right back to the prosperity preachers. They tell you God wants you rich. And meanwhile, they get rich off the people who believe them. Big houses. Private planes. Fancy clothes. Paid for by folks who gave their grocery money hoping God would multiply it.
That's not ministry. That's a scam with a Jesus sticker on it.
Now hang on. The Bible doesn't say being wealthy is a sin. Abraham was loaded. So was Solomon. So was Job. The problem is when money becomes the point. When getting rich matters more than following Jesus. When you care more about your bank balance than your soul.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Look at 1 Timothy 6:6. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Not godliness with a fat wallet. Godliness with contentment.
That word contentment meant something specific back then. Greek philosophers used it for someone who didn't let circumstances control them. Didn't matter if they had a lot or a little. They were satisfied either way.
But for Christians, this isn't about willpower. It comes from God.
11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
Look at what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13. He'd learned to be content whether he had plenty or nothing. Good times or hard times. Full stomach or empty. And how did he do it? Look at verse 13. Through Christ who gave him strength. This isn't pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. This is leaning on Jesus.
A godly person doesn't chase money. They chase God. And when you find God, you find what you were really looking for all along.
Here's something to chew on. Who's the richest person? Not the one with the most money. The one who doesn't need anything else. The one who's satisfied.
You don't have to take my word for it. Listen to people who actually got rich.
Elon Musk became the wealthiest person in history earlier this year. Over 800 billion dollars. You know what he posted online? "Whoever said, 'Money can't buy happiness' really knew what they were talking about." Eight hundred billion dollars and he's telling us money doesn't make you happy.
Richard Branson built the Virgin empire from nothing. He's worth billions. Here's what he said: "I truly believe that 'stuff' really does not bring happiness." He learned that lesson when his houseboat sank and he lost everything he owned. Afterward, he and his wife realized they only missed their photo albums. He said, "Family, friends, good health and the satisfaction that comes from making a positive difference are what really matters."
Jim Carrey made millions as one of the most famous comedians in the world. He said, "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer."
These aren't preachers. These aren't Christians trying to guilt you. These are people who got everything the world says you should want. And they're telling you it didn't fill them up.
Money and contentment don't mix. There's an old saying that money is like salt water. The more you drink, the thirstier you get.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. 8 If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
Look at 1 Timothy 6:7-8. We came into this world with nothing. We're leaving the same way. Job said it plain: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I'll go back."
People who spend their whole lives chasing money are chasing something they can't keep. You've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul.
Paul says if we've got food and clothes, that should be enough. That's a tough word in America. We're trained from birth to want more. Newer phone. Bigger house. Nicer car. It never stops.
But Paul says the basics should be enough. Everything else is a bonus. A gift. Not something we're owed.
9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Look at 1 Timothy 6:9-10. Here's the warning. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap. Foolish and harmful desires drag them down into ruin and destruction.
Notice he doesn't say people who are rich. He says people who want to be rich. The craving is the problem. That constant itch for more. That's what turns into a trap.
That word "plunge" means to sink. To drag under. Like someone drowning because they grabbed onto something too heavy. The chase for riches pulls people under.
And verse 10 gets misquoted a lot. People say money is the root of all evil. That's not what it says. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Money's just a tool. You can use it to help people or hurt them. You can feed the hungry or hoard it for yourself. But when you love money, when you crave it and chase it and build your whole life around it, that love will tear you apart.
Look at the end of 1 Timothy 6:10. Some people wandered away from the faith because they craved money. They pierced themselves with many griefs.
That picture is brutal. Like someone stabbing themselves. Over and over. Chasing money brings a guilty conscience. Unfilled desires. Never being satisfied. And here's the worst part. Nobody made them do it. They did it to themselves. They chose to chase money instead of God. And it destroyed them.
So what do we do? Paul keeps it simple. Run. Get away from these things as fast as you can.
But here's what we can't forget. We can't do this on our own.
Everything Paul talks about here ties back to the gospel. Jesus Christ came into this world, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the grave.
We can't run from sin on our own. We've all tried that. We fail. The power to get away from temptation comes from the Holy Spirit inside us.
We can't make ourselves content on our own. We always want more. Real satisfaction comes from knowing Jesus.
If you're here today and you've never put your trust in Jesus, none of this will work for you. You can try to run from greed, but you'll keep tripping. You can try to spot false teaching, but you'll keep getting fooled. You need a new heart. Only Jesus can give you that.
Following Jesus starts with giving up. Admitting you can't fix yourself. Trusting that Jesus did what you never could. He lived the life you should have lived. He died the death you deserve. And he offers his victory to you as a free gift.
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Look at Romans 10:9. If you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. That's where it starts. But it doesn't stop there. Salvation is just the beginning. Then you spend the rest of your life learning to spot lies, learning to be content, learning to find your satisfaction in Jesus instead of stuff.
Before we finish, I want to give you some tools. Ways to protect yourself from false teaching this week. Not just ideas. Things you can actually do.
First, test everything against Scripture.
When you hear teaching, ask one question: "Where does the Bible say that?" Not "Does this sound good?" or "Does this make me feel hopeful?" but "Can I find this in the Bible?"
11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Look at Acts 17:11. The Bereans were called noble because they checked what Paul said against Scripture. They didn't just take his word for it. They opened their Bibles and looked it up. If they did that with an apostle, you can do it with anyone.
When someone tells you God wants you rich, open your Bible. Look at what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. Look at how Paul lived. Look at the early church. Does the teaching match?
Second, know what God actually promises.
False teaching works because it sounds like it could be true. The best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the real thing inside and out.
God promises his presence, not our comfort. Jesus said, "I am with you always." He didn't say, "You'll never struggle."
God promises provision for our needs, not our wants. Jesus said, "Your Father knows what you need." He didn't say, "Your Father will give you everything you desire."
God promises peace that passes understanding, not a trouble-free life. Paul wrote that from a prison cell.
God promises eternal reward, not earthly riches. Jesus told us to store up treasure in heaven, not here.
33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
Look at John 16:33. Jesus said in this world you will have trouble. That's a promise. You will have trouble. But he also said, "Be courageous! I have conquered the world." The promise isn't that life will be easy. The promise is that Jesus wins in the end.
Third, here's something concrete you can do this week.
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. 11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
Pick one passage of Scripture. Just one. Read it every day this week. I'd suggest Philippians 4:10-13. It's only four verses. Read it Monday. Read it Tuesday. Read it every day through Sunday.
As you read it, ask yourself: What does this say about contentment? What does this say about what I need? What does this say about where my strength comes from?
By the end of the week, you'll know those verses. And the next time you hear someone on TV telling you that God wants to make you rich, you'll have God's actual words in your head. You'll be able to test that teaching against what Scripture really says.
That's how you protect yourself. Not by being suspicious of everyone. Not by being angry at false teachers. But by knowing the truth so well that the lies stand out.
Two dangers Paul warned Timothy about. Two dangers we face right now.
False teaching that twists the truth about Jesus. It promises health and riches God never guaranteed. It looks good. It sounds nice. But it leads people away from God.
The love of money that promises happiness and delivers misery. It traps you before you know you're caught. It stabs you with grief. It pulls you away from the only thing that can really fill you up.
Paul's answer for both is the same. Run. Don't mess around with these things. Don't test yourself. Get as far away as you can.
And run toward something better. Godliness with contentment. A life satisfied in Christ. A faith built on what Scripture actually says, not what the world wants it to say.
What do you need to run from this week? What false teaching has snuck into how you think? What love of money has grabbed hold of your heart?
What you choose today shapes who you become tomorrow. Choose carefully. And trust that the God who called you will give you everything you need to follow him.
Let's pray.
